Descendants: The Twisted Tale
by ArthurDragonpen
Summary: Son of Maleficent and twin brother of Mal, Lev must live up to certain expectations. Though he could always follow in his father's footsteps, Lev realizes that neither way looks pretty. But when he is given a chance to live in Auradon, Lev comes to learn what it means to acknowledge your roots and discover yourself. For in this twisted tale, your lineage may be the key to survival.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: For all of you tuning in, there are only a few things that I have to say. Firstly, I thought the ideals behind Descendants was very interesting. But, many things about the movie felt too lackluster. So, I added in a few OC's with the intention that the story would benefit from more character development and more twists. Lastly, Lev sometimes takes the initiative and breaks the fourth wall occasionally. So, while you read, try to have some fun as you look out for those little moments. Please enjoy and tell me what you think of the first chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Sunday Surprise

Once upon a time, long, long ago… well more like twenty years ago, Belle married her Beast in front of six thousand of their closest personal friends.

And instead of a honeymoon, Beast united all the kingdoms and got himself elected King of the United States of Auradon. He rounded up all of the villians, all the sidekicks, basically all of the really interesting people and he booted them off to the Isle of the Lost with a magical barrier to keep them there. And that place happens to be my palace. No magic, no Wi-fi, no way out. But really who needs all that crap when making someone's life a living hell is way more fun?

Running and jumping through back alleys, I noticed Jay and Carlos messing with people. Over to my right, Evie was flirting with some love-struck idiots. I nodded to them and they nodded back. While I sidled up to them, I gave each of them a swift glance.

Evie was obsessed with being the fairest of them all. Her dark brown eyes and rosy lips can put anyone in a trance. She likes to wear her ocean blue hair down. Just like the colors of her hair, Evie wore mostly blue and black clothing. Her usual outfit was a ruby red necklace, a dark blue cape paired with a printed leather skirt with spiderweb leggings and black combat boots. She's very well maintained from her well plucked brows to the makeup that her mother insists upon. She never leaves home without her mom's approval of her appearance. Evie is very attractive and beautiful. Despite the fact that she wants people to believe that she's an airhead, Evie's just as smart as anyone of us, and quite easily the most attractive. Hey, who knows? One day, she may very well find her own Prince Charming. But, as of this moment, that matter was up in the air.

Turning to the muscle head of our little group, I smirked. Jay was very handsome (for lack of a better word), puckish and mischievous with long dark hair in a bandanna and a flawless tan I'd kill for. He was a thief and a con man as well as a striking, quick-witted boy with charm to spare, whose lies were as intricate and silvery as his eyes. Jay's a pretty strong hood if I do say so myself. But's it's too bad that the power of his brain pales in comparison to the power of his fists.

Finally, I turned my attention to the techie of our group. Carlos was slender with fair skin and freckles, white hair with brown roots at the bottom, brown eyes, black-white-red color coordination, and brown boots. I usually described him as jumpy and anxious, but with the true skills of a tech prodigy. He's also scared of dogs, which frankly, despite his heritage, I still don't get. Jay and I played pranks on him often, barking to startle him or freaking him out with stories about dogs. It was always pretty funny since none of us had ever seen a dog up close and personal.

Scanning the crowd, I asked the question that was weighing heaviest on my mind. "Where's Mal?"

"Don't tell me you're blind, brother dear." A somewhat sinister voice whispered behind me. "I'm right here."

Recognizing the trick, I rolled my eyes. "Was that supposed to scare me?" I noticed the disappointment in the other's eyes when I hadn't gotten startled.

Mal jumped out from my blind spot and pouted. "Man, where's my little scaredy-cat brother gone? You used to yelp in fright whenever I did that. What changed?"

I scoffed. "I turned eight." I watched her glare at me while I let my apathetic mask slip onto my face. Taking the moment, I thought about Mal. Many described her as a pretty girl (by the people hoping she'll look their way before being utterly ignored) with dark purple hair with highlights of lighter shades of purple that reaches a little bit over her shoulders. She had green eyes and was medium height (5 foot 2). She mostly wore shades of purple. Mal takes after Maleficent: sneaky, smart, and ruthless, whenever she needs to be. By now, we all have learned that messing with her is suicide because she rarely forgives and she never forgets.

Mal sighed. "You're no fun today." She decided to terrorize some child by taking its candy and I chuckled to myself. The crowd eyed the five of us warily as Mal waved the lollipop around for all to see. If they wanted, anyone could have reprimanded us for what we were doing. But this was the Isle of the Lost. Rules had about as much meaning as goodness. Plus, if that wasn't enough reason, no sane person in their right mind would ever dare cross us. And it was super obvious why.

So when the crowd scattered like flies, the streets grew quiet, and our friend's smiles slipped off their faces, it was no surprise to Mal and I what was up. So as one, we turned and said, "Hey, Mom!"

Maleficent strode into the street, her henchmen on either side. "Stealing candy, Mal? I'm so disappointed."

Mal smiled and offered the lollipop to Mom. "It was from a baby."

Mom smirked. "That's my nasty little girl." She proceeded to take it and spit on it. After wiping it, she gave it to one of her guards and told him (in only so many words) to give to the child.

Mal sighed in frustration. "Mom…"

Maleficent elaborated. "It's the deeds, Mal, that make the difference between mean and truly evil." So, in "Mom" speak, stealing candy from a baby isn't worth her time. She took a moment then turned to me. "And what of you, Lev? Have you done something today that requires my attention?"

I snorted. "You mean besides breathing? No, nothing truly diabolical happened off the top of my head. But maybe if you wait a few days, I'll think of something."

The others stared at me uncomfortably. Mal just looked bored. I noticed Mom's eyes glowing sinister green like they did when she was about to cast a spell (if she could anyway) but I knew she wouldn't go through with it. Mom was the queen of the island, which was no shocker. She always made it a point to call us if she required something. But, today, she did something totally unexpected. She came to us. Which meant something was up.

Mom dismissed me and turned back to Mal. "When I was your age, I was cursing entire kingdoms." I saw Mal mouth the words and I chuckled. She did seem to mention that a lot. Unfortunately, my chuckles didn't go unnoticed. Mom's eyes flashed green and Mal pointedly looked at me as if to say "Stop it before she really gets mad." I sighed and bit down on my tongue waiting until Mom's eyes went back to their regular shade of green. Then she beckoned to the both of us. "Come. Walk with me."

We took a few steps off to the side. "I'm just trying to teach you what really counts: how to be me."

"We know," Mal and I said in unison. "And we'll get better." I looked at my sister, wondering if I could split our minds if only for a second but I'm guessing that the twin mentality is still going strong.

"Oh! Right! I've got great news." Mom's voice rang out into the street so I assumed she was addressing all of us now. Going back to the others, she pointed. "You five have been chosen to go to a different school." She paused to let her henchmen get into place behind Carlos, Evie, and Jay. Then, she continued, with a wicked smile on her face. "A school in Auradon."

As soon as the words left her lips, the others tried to run with little to no success. Meanwhile, Mal and I stared each other in shock. Out of all the things I had been expecting, this was not one of them. In fact, it never made the list. Mal decided to voice all of our thoughts. "WHAT?"

Mom was perturbed as she listened to us voice our complaints. "I'm not going to some boarding school filled to the brim with prissy pink princesses." Evie seemed to jump on board the idea at the mention of that. She interrupted the conversation with a dreamy look upon her face and mused, "And perfect princes." My sister and I glared at Evie and she composed herself accordingly.

Jay decided to take up the argument then. "Yeah, I don't 'do' uniforms unless it's leather. You feel me?" He proceeded to try and high-five Carlos who decided to ask, "Um, I read somewhere that they allow dogs in Auradon. Mom says they're rabid pack animals who eat boys who don't behave." Jay barked and Carlos yelped jumping away in fear. I laughed so hard that I didn't her my sister's next words but I definitely heard Mom's.

"Aww, you're thinking small, pumpkin. It's all about world domination." She called for us to follow and seeing as though we had no choice, we followed our mother.

* * *

"You will go, you will find the Fairy Godmother and you will bring me back her magic wand. She checked her nails and shrugged. "Easy peasy."

I frowned. "I'm partial to believing that there are a couple more steps involved."

Mal scowled. "What's in it for us?"

Mom named a couple things off the top of her head. "Matching thrones and crowns."

Carlos, being the smart guy, elaborated further and gestured to the five of us. "No, I think she meant 'us'."

Mom used a finger to gesture Mal forward. And she did but at the last second, she caught hold of my hand and pulled me along with her. I chanced a glance at her but she didn't look, instead keeping her eyes fully on Mother.

"How about you, Mal? Do you enjoy making innocent people suffer?" Mal barely nodded before Mom entered her rant. "Then get me the wand. And you and I can do all that and so much more. With that wand and my scepter, I will be able to bend both good and evil to my will."

It was then that the Evil Queen decided to say, " ** _Our_** will."

Cruella de Vil automatically agreed and Jafar just gave Maleficent a look. Mom corrected herself and the other villains went back to their own devices. I began to think about this. The isle was our home. And I couldn't deny that I felt in control here, even if that control came from my mother. But that was a small part of me that wanted to take this adventure. My friends and I had already seen all that this island could offer. And besides, I got bored easily. Maybe this would be fun.

Maleficent snapped her fingers and brought me out of my thoughts. "And if you refuse, the two of you will be grounded for the rest of your lives." Before I could get a word in edgewise, her eyes began to glow and both Mal and I stood in defiance, our green eyes glowing as well. We knew that only together would we be able to counteract her power but I'm guessing today wasn't the day. I caved within a few seconds and Mal snapped her eyes away after ten. "Fine, whatever."

Mom went into another one of her speeches about the old days but since I had heard such speeches enough times, I tuned it out and only listened in whenever they mentioned something new such as the Evil Queen's magic mirror or the spell book in the back of the freezer. Literally.

Turning to Mal, she explained, "If it doesn't work here, it will in Auradon." She looked at Evil Queen. "Remember when we were spreading evil and ruining lives?"

The queen was nostalgic. "Almost like it was yesterday."

Mom turned the book over to Mal. "Now you'll be able to make memories of your own. By doing exactly as I tell you." Then she turned to me. "I don't expect much from you, Lev. But, if the book works for one of my children, then having the both of you use it will make the spells even more powerful. So don't mess up."

A car horn outside spared me from having to answer. "Man, the timing on that was perfect. I'm going to go grab my bag." Then I sprinted out of the room.

A couple of minutes later, Carlos, Evie, Jay, and I were standing in the street staring at the limousine in front of us. If this were any other moment, I would have immediately assumed this was a dream. Unfortunately, I don't dream of such things so it felt pretty real in comparison. We each took a bag and placed it in the trunk before getting in ourselves. I was the last one to pack my bag. Just as I was about to get in, Mal stepped out of our house. She barely glanced my way so I got in and waited for her to do the same.

And then we were off to Auradon.

* * *

After some… interesting moments when we thought we were all going to die and Carlos shrieked like a little girl, we arrived at the preppiest prep school that I've ever seen in my life. There are almost no words to describe. From the window, I could see a welcome wagon at the doors and a marching band off to the side. The place was bright and colorful with tons of sunshine, fresh air, and open space. The sides of my mouth turned up at the prospect of exploring this place but I bit my lip and tried to show no emotion when Mal caught me in the act of almost smiling.

As the car came to a stop, Jay and Carlos began fighting over a blanket that they had found inside. As soon as the door opened, I jumped out and quickly stepped to the left as I watched Jay and Carlos wrestle their way out. The crowd quieted at the spectacle we were making and I sighed. Well, this mission's off to a good start. As Evie and Mal popped out next, the marching band parted and three people came over to meet us. Mal signaled to them to quit it and they got up.

The woman in front took a look at all the tech hanging from Jay's arms and said in a sing-song voice, "Leave it like you found it. And by that, I mean just leave it."

Jay looked behind the woman, his eyes settling on the girl to the right. "Hello, Foxy. The name's… Jay."

I laughed and whispered in Mal's ear. "Right. Because melodramatic pauses make everything sound hotter."

She shushed me and turned her attention back on our welcome wagon right as the woman began to speak. "Welcome to Auradon Prep. I'm Fairy Godmother." She gave a slight bow.

Mal raised her eyebrows. "The Fairy Godmother? As in 'Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo'?"

"Bibbidi Bobbidi… You know it."

Mal smiled. "I always wondered what it felt like for Cinderella when you just appeared out of nowhere with that sparkly wand and the warm smile… and the sparkly wand." I nudged her in the side and shook my head.

Fairy Godmother smiled softly. "That was a long time ago. And as I always say, don't focus on the past or you'll miss the future." Fairy Godmother's acquaintances came out from behind her and greeted us as well. The guy was dressed in a suit and khakis and seemed important so I figured out who he was pretty quickly.

"It's so good to finally meet you all. I'm Ben."

"Prince… Benjamin." The girl on the left corrected. "Soon to be King."

Evie stepped forward and bowed slightly. "You had me at prince. My mom's a queen which makes me a princess."

The girl off to the side made a snooty face. "The Evil Queen has no royal status here. And neither do you."

Evie's face fell at her comment and I clenched my teeth.

Alright, it's official. I hate this girl.

"Audrey," Prince Ben called out.

"Princess Audrey," She again corrected. "Ben's girlfriend. Right, Benny-Boo?"

The prince laughed awkwardly. Fairy Godmother took their hands and explained. "Ben and Audrey are going to show you all around. And I'll see you tomorrow." Then she threw their hands up. "The doors of wisdom are never shut. But the library hours are from eight to eleven and we have a little thing about curfews." Then she strode off and the marching band followed her lead leaving us with the prince and the bi—I'm sorry – Audrey.

Prince came forward. "It's so, so good to finally m-meet you all." He stuttered a bit when he held his hand out for Jay to shake. But, Jay doesn't shake. He punches. Prince Ben took each of our hands, stopping for a split second on Mal and staring at her like he'd seen her somewhere before. Then he continued on to Carlos. "This is a momentous occasion and one that I hope will go down in history… and," He licked his fingers, "Chocolate. As the day that our two peoples have begun to heal. Then he shook my head and really counted how many of us there were. He seemed like he wanted to ask but Audrey beat him to it. "This may seem a bit rude but I had the impression there were only supposed to be four… transfers." The pause suggested that 'transfers' hadn't been the first word she thought of.

I was taking joy in revealing the big news. "Yeah, if it weren't for your proclamation, there would never be a day when the world knew Maleficent had twins." Ben's face seemed surprised but his smile never changed, which was slightly disappointing. Audrey, on the other hand, watched me with wide eyes and I couldn't help but give it her a wicked sneer. My sister smirked at me before adopting a happy persona. "Or a day where you showed five people where the bathrooms are."

Prince Ben seemed a bit bashful. "A little bit over the top?"

"A little bit more than a little bit," Mal agreed.

"Well. So much for my first impression." He laughed and Mal smiled. Then Audrey had to open her mouth and I knew that whatever came out would irritate me. "So you're Malficent's daughter? You know, I totally don't blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff."

"Well, that's good. I'd be hard to blame someone who wasn't even born yet." I said loudly.

Audrey tried for a smile but I'm pretty sure we all knew she was faking. "Yeah, my mom's Aurora."

"Sleeping Beauty," Mal and I said as one.

Mal smiled. "I've heard the name." I sarcastically added, "Mother's mentioned her once or twice." If the look on my face was anything to go by, "once or twice" didn't cut it.

Mal persisted. "And we totally do not blame your grandparents for inviting in the whole world but our mother to your mother's christening."

Audrey smiled. "Water under the bridge."

"Totes!"

Then they both laughed their fake laughs and I snorted and spoke to the prince. "So gonna invite us in?"

"Of course! This way!" He beckoned to us and we entered the building.

"So, you guys have a lot of magic here in Auradon?" Mal questioned. "Like wands?"

Prince Ben had a so-so look on his face. "Yeah, it exists. But it's all been retired. Most of us here are ordinary mortals."

"Who just happen to be kings and queens." Mal mentioned.

Audrey then launched into something about being royalty and it took all of my inner patience not to say, "No one cares."

Ben looked up the staircase and in an excuse to change the subject, shouted, "Doug! Nadra!"

The two hurried down the stairs. "Everyone! This is Doug and Nadra. There are going to help you with your class schedules and show to your dorms. I'll see you later, okay? And if there is anything you need, please feel free to—"

"Ask Doug and Nadra." Audrey said abruptly before pulling Ben along with her. Soon, they were gone and we all turned to look at the two newcomers. Doug looked like a nerd. Now I don't mean it like a bad thing. It's just that Carlos is a nerd and he still managed to dress with a certain amount of class.

Nadra looked at the five of us and when her eyes settled on mine, I froze. I hadn't noticed how brown her eyes were but they seemed to glow with a certain fierceness that made me shiver. Her skin was a lightly tanned color like Jay and her lustrous hair fell down past her shoulders. She wore a sparkling blue blouse with a v-neck and ripped blue jeans with black combat boots. Each arm held two bracelets and at her side hung a key chain with a tiger and sword charm on the ring. She looked me up and down, and said, "Nice boots." Then, she turned to Doug. "Take it away, Doug." Then she sauntered off and left us with the band nerd.

"Who was that?" The question was out of my mouth before I could even process how wasted I sounded.

"Oh, that was Nadra, Daughter of Aladdin and Jasmine. And I'm Doug, son of Dopey. You know seven dwarves?"

I nodded, not really paying attention anymore. I craned my neck to see her sashay down the hall but then she disappeared around the corner and everything came back into focus. I had just enough time to hear Doug say something about a class call Remedial Goodness 101.

"There's no way that's not a new class." I muttered under my breath. After he told us where we would be staying for the next couple of days, we headed to the dorms. Carlos, Jay, and I were staying in a massive room that would've given my room back at the Isle a run for its money. This place probably cost way more too. Doug said, "No one expected that there would be five of you so there isn't another bed. But, I'm sure Ben will sort it all out. Until then, unpack and get to know the room."

I nodded and shut the door in his face. Then, I pulled up a chair, took out some paper, and got to work.

* * *

It was another hour before the movers placed another bed in the room and quite a few more hours before it was nighttime. By the time Mal and Evie left their dorms to come to ours, I'd already written up a bunch of different spells. Or I guess rhymes in this case. Spells implied that they actually worked and I had yet to test them.

Looking up from my musings, I mock yawned, "Took you long enough. I was just getting ready to take a nap. Who knows? I still might."

Mal ignored me and made her way to Jay. I shrugged and went back to my spells. Then Carlos called Jay over to try out the game he was playing. One uppercut and Jay was hooked. I smiled wanly at Mal. "Don't be so hard on them. You have to admit that this place is way more fun." Mal glared pointedly at me and I held up my hands in surrender. "Just saying."

"Guys, do I have to remind you what we're all here for?" Mal questioned.

Jay smirked. "Fairy Godmother blah blah blah magic wand blah blah blah." The others laughed heartily at his joke but it had the opposite effect on Mal and me.

"This is our one chance to prove ourselves to our parents." The others fell silent as they remembered what was at stake here. "To prove that we are evil and viscous and ruthless and cruel. Yeah?"

The others glanced at one another for a split second and they all muttered assent. "Yeah."

"Alright, Evie, show us what the magic mirror can do." I asked and she complied, pulling the mirror from her purse.

"Mirror, mirror on the – in my hand, where does Fairy Godmother's wand… stand?" She pulled it away so that everyone could get a good look. On the mirror's surface, we saw the wand… and nothing else.

"You think that the mirror gives directions? Like at all?" I asked.

Evie zoomed out the picture and the mirror showed the entire world, forcing her to keep zooming in until it showed a specific building. "Museum of Cultural History?"

"Do we know where that is?" Mal asked.

Carlos tapped away on the keys and pinpointed the location. "About 2.3 miles from here."

I blew my hair out of my eyes. "Sounds like a ton of walking so might as well get started."

Making sure the hall was cleared, we raced to the museum like our lives depended on it.

* * *

Making our way to a side entrance, we stopped just in time to see a guard keeping watch over many different objects. In one of the screens, I thought I saw a trident before the guard turned towards the doors, forcing us to take cover. When the coast was clear once again, we managed to get a good look at the item in the room. The cursed spinning wheel. The spinning wheel that Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger on. I never dreamed I'd ever see it in real life. Jay and Carlos, however laughed.

"I wonder if it still works." I asked. Mal, remembering the spellbook, pulls it out and begins flipping through the pages. _"Magic spindle, do not linger. Make my victim prick a finger."_

The security guard looked at the spindle but, if anything, seemed unaffected by the spell.

Jay smiled. "Impressive."

Carlos showed her his arm and said in mock enthusiasm. "I got chills."

Mal ignored them. "My magic's still not strong enough. Hey, Lev, help me out here."

"So long as you asked, I got no problem." Getting into position next to my sister, we chanted in unison, _"Prick the finger, prick it deep. Send my enemy off to sleep."_

The moment we finished the spell, the guard's eyes glazed over and against his will, his finger rose up to touch the spindle. As soon as he had, he let out a huge yawn and went to sleep right in front of the display.

"Sweet. Next order of business: do you have a spell in there for locked doors?" I asked. Mal tested the doors like I had just done. No luck. The doors were firm and we were locked outside.

Jay told us to stand back and began to back up. Meanwhile, Mal flipped through the book until she found what she was looking for. Nudging me, we said, _"Make it easy, make it quick. Open up without a kick."_

The doors swung open just in time for Jay to fall to the floor in failure. I went up to the guard and checked him for a second. Then, I followed the others down the hall. "Mom cursed Sleeping Beauty to sleep for an eternity. We made the guard fall asleep but I'm sure he'll only sleep for a set amount of time. We need to do this as quickly as possible."

The others nodded and we followed Evie down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor. We passed a few corridors but Evie never wavered and soon we found ourselves in a magnificent chamber overlooking four pedestals and atop those pedestals were our parents.

We held the sight in awe. We all knew how famous our parents were. But I'm thinking that seeing them in this museum for all of the world to see kind of set it in stone for the majority of us. They were our parents. We were their flesh and blood and now we needed to live up to their legacy.

Jay, in an effort to sound, aloof, replied, "Well, the wand's not here. Let's bounce." His words managed to snap everyone out of their thoughts and we got ready to leave. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mal walking towards the statue and decided she needed some time to herself deciding not to voice her absence to the group. About a minute after we left her, the mirror pinpointed the wand, I mentioned that Mal was probably still in the Gallery of Villains. Evie went back to get her and said she'd be right back. Jay found was looking at some of the exhibits when I had a thought and went to chat with Carlos. "Hey, just a quick question, with you being the tech guy and all, but don't you think that the wand will be protected?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the wand was the thing that placed the barrier on the Isle. Don't you think something that powerful might have something protecting it?"

Carlos went over the idea when we heard footsteps coming closer. Evie and Mal rounded the corner and waved our way. Carlos replied, "It's possible but why don't we get a good look at it before we make any assumptions?"

I nodded in agreement and we followed Evie towards the prize. Finally, we entered the chamber of Fairy Godmother's wand. Because we were on the second floor, we had to find the staircase but once the wand was eye level, we just took a minute to gawk at it. Jay wasted no time as he went under the guard rails and began to reach for the wand.

Mal's eyes widened and she shouted, "Jay, don't!"

Jay smirked at her before ignoring the command and reaching for the wand. The moment his hand touched the light, a flash ignited blinding us, a thump accompanied by Jay's grunt of pain reached my ears. And then a wailing siren caught all of us off guard.

Carlos was bewildered. "A force field and a siren?"

Jay groaned from his spot on the floor. "The defense is a little excessive."

I could hardly hear myself think. "We need to get out of here."

We turned tail and ran, trying to remember the way back while simultaneously not trying to run into trouble. Making it back to the side entrance we entered from, I realized that even if we escaped, the guard would simply tell someone that something had happened. "Carlos! Help me with this!" We ran to the computer. The phone rang and I concentrated. Remembering and editing one of the spells I had written earlier, I chanted, _"Thundering noise of moment's hence, now be cast in silence."_

The alarm shut off and Carlos was free to make the call, reporting it as an accident. Then, we hightailed it out of there as fast as possible. All the while, Mal was grumbling. "Way to go, Jay. Now we have to go to school tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2: Father's Blessing

**Chapter 2: Father's Blessing**

 **A/N: Just a short Author's note here. If the plot of the movie was meant to cover more than a week, I apologize in advance for this. When I watched the movie, it seemed as though everything had taken place within a week at the most. Other than that, please enjoy Chapter 2 of The Twisted Tale!**

* * *

The funny thing about my dreams is that they never stay dreams. On the Isle, my unconscious mind had certain ways of slipping from my body and going off into the great unknown. Technically, that should have been impossible, given that Maleficent was my mother and magic wasn't permitted on the island. But, then again, the power I wielded wasn't just magic.

The moment my eyes closed, I found myself in a cave. The cave was familiar in and of itself despite me only being there in spirit. I sighed, knowing that there was no way around what was about to happen. With an unhappy forward march, I ventured deeper into the grotto. Having done this walk many times before, I focused more on my surroundings than I did on the path. Though the area was dimly lit, my eyes could make out carvings on the walls. Pictures of destruction and death and the world in flames. Plus, the tension in the air worsened the farther I got. Finally, I stopped in the middle of a chamber. There was no one here as always but that didn't stop his voice from speaking to me anyhow.

 _The prodigal son returns. It has been quite some time._

I grit my teeth and cast my eyes out into the darkness. "Get out of my dreams." I replied stiffly.

 _That's no way to talk to your father. Certainly not a father who will rule all of Auradon with your added assistance._

I snorted in derision. "Please. Like I'd ever help you." My voice took on a more serious edge as I growled, "You lost the right to call yourself my father. You don't own or control me and you damn well can't tell me what to do."

 _I have heard Maleficent's plans. I have seen what she wants. And though the future twists and bends, that which she desires shall come to past, whether you like it or not._

Though I couldn't see him, I knew the smug bastard was smiling in the dark. _You believe that just because you are off the Isle that you are free of me. But you will soon learn that freedom is something you'll never possess. So long as you are my son, you shall walk in my shadow. Now, wake._

I didn't want to follow his orders but already, the scene before me was fading. The darkness of the cave became blinding light and, before I was forced to shut my eyes, I saw eyes of yellow in the light and then nothing at all.

At the moment that I woke up, I could feel that something was wrong. Checking the clock, I gaped in alarm. It was 4 a.m. and I wasn't a morning person so something about my apparent insomnia was off. To make matters more interesting, the usual stiffness in my joints had vanished and I felt relaxed and comfortable and ready to greet the new day. I yawned and got out of bed, making my way to the bathroom. Not bothering to look in the mirror, I turned on the faucet and washed my face a couple of times. But when I looked up, a complete stranger greeted me.

The figure was very tall with dark skin and glowing yellow eyes. His ears were pointed slightly and a wily tail slithered up from behind him. I opened my mouth in horror and the figure in the mirror did the same although the look on his face seemed pleased. Flicking my tongue out, I checked the inside of my mouth. My teeth had become razor sharp. I began to pat myself down and pinched myself multiple times.

Finally, I couldn't deny it. Somehow, during the night, I had transformed into a modern day beast. Remembering my friends, I peeked outside to make sure they were still sleeping. Thankfully, they were fast asleep, snoring the morning away.

Sighing, I reentered the bathroom and tried to figure out my next move. I already knew what this was. Father's idea of a blessing. I'm guessing this was what he meant when he said I'd always walk in his shadow. If anyone saw me like this, even my friends, they'd understand why I never talked about my father and why I didn't want anything to do with him. They'd understand why Maleficent and I were at odds.

"Okay, obviously, I need some way of changing back. We've got class first thing today and the last thing I need is people figuring out all of my secrets." I began to think it through carefully. I needed a spell that would change me back easily. Thinking off the top of my head, I recited, _"Of this form that's become quite a bore, change me back to the way I was before."_

I repeated it a couple of times for emphasis but the spell seemed to have the desired effect. Slowly, but surely, the devil in the mirror melted away and a young, handsome guy took its place. I scanned my physical appearance for any signs of trouble. My black hair with purple highlights had regained its familiar shine. My eyes were green like before. I no longer possessed horns and my skin was as pearly white as it should have been. I waited a few more minutes to make sure that the worst of it was over but, in the end, it looked like my transformation wasn't going to happen again.

After avoiding that little scare, I looked at my bed in confusion. Now that I was aware of it, I wasn't tired in the least. Even though it was too early, my mind had no intention of falling asleep. And so, I stayed awake until the sun rose in the distance and the others began to wake.

* * *

"If someone hands you a crying baby," Fairy Godmother asked, "Do you:

Curse it?

Lock it in a tower?

Give it a bottle?

Carve out its heart?"

If we're being completely honest here, only one of those answers sounds the least bit right.

So it was almost comical when Evie raised her hand and asked, "What was the second one?"

Fairy Godmother's smile slipped off her face and she looked around the room. "Okay…anyone else? Anyone at all?"

I could have easily answered but I wasn't much for it. I had already answered enough. Plus I was getting bored and when I got bored, my attention span flew out the window. A table over, my sister looked equally uninterested as she sketched the wand's design, going over the image until it was flawless.

The sound of Mal's name being called caused both of us to look up. She answered the question and the warm sparkle in Fairy Godmother's eyes lit up once more.

Carlos looked impressed. "You are on fire, girl!"

Mal tugged at a lock of her hair. "Just pick the one that doesn't sound like any fun."

Seeing that they finally understood how to get an easy "A" in this class without actually learning anything, I glanced behind us as a girl began to walk up the aisle. When she had to go between our tables, she let out a slight squeal and sort of ran through before coming to a stop before Fairy Godmother.

The girl gave her a clipboard and spoke quickly about the coronation. Mal, being as sneaky as possible, nudged Evie. Fairy Godmother scribbled down her signature and then called out to us. "Everyone here remembers my daughter Jane." She then tried to reassure her daughter that everything was alright. "Jane, this is everyone."

Jane, now in the spotlight, waved uneasily. "Hey… that's okay. Don't mind me. As you were." She hurried out of the room.

"Your daughter Jane looked like she was about to faint. Just saying." I mentioned before going back to my spells.

Fairy Godmother took my idea and stowed it away. "She'll get used to you. Now, let's continue. You find a vial of poison. Do you:

Put it in the King's wine?

Paint it on an apple?

Turn it over to the proper authorities?"

Carlos and Jay's hands shot up but she decided to call on Jay. "C) Turn it over to the proper authorities."

"I was going to say that."

Jay grabbed Carlos and put him into a headlock. Meanwhile, Evie was looking at herself in her mirror and I was trying not laugh as per usual.

"Boys!" Fairy Godmother bellowed. "I'm going to encourage you to use that energy on the tourney field."

"Whatever that is, it already sounds interesting," I said, perking up.

Carlos, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it. "No thanks! Whatever that is, I'll pass."

* * *

The coach blew his whistle before pairing us up. "Jay! Ben! Lev! Offense!" He gestured to me and the pretty boy to my right. "Chad! You're on defense. Taylor! You're the shooter!"

I had gotten a mini explanation on what tourney was but it didn't do much in terms of actually helping me understand. All I really knew how to do was avoid the kill zone. The coach began shouting at Carlos for staying in the kill zone.

As soon as the drill started, I made it a point to stay out of Jay's way. His way to living life dealt with making sure everyone else lost, whether they were on the same team or not. So, it came to no surprise to me that he began to plow most of the team down. I was brought out of my musings when I was forced to defend myself from a bigger dude.

He was doing what he could to push me back and he was succeeding. Faking to the left, I sprinted past him and smirked his way in an attempt to rile him up. Hearing him growl, I threw myself into the kill zone, weaving and dodging until I made it to the other side. Then, I watched in a cruel satisfaction when the guy who had chased me got pummeled by flying disks. Getting back into the game, I was able to fake out three other guys on the defense before we managed to make it to the enemy's goal. The ball had landed on the ground between Ben and Jay. Already knowing the outcome and dreading the collision bound to happen, I grabbed onto Ben's shoulder firmly and pulled him away, allowing Jay to score. In the end, Jay hooted and hollered and gloated in everyone's faces.

That's when the coach called him out. "You! Get over here! What do you call that?" His expression was unreadable for all of two seconds before breaking out into a huge grin. "Because I call that raw talent. Come find me later. I'll show you something you've never seen before. It's called a rulebook. Welcome to the team, son." He patted Jay on the shoulder and then turned to me. "You're pretty good at finding your way around the defense. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll fit in fine."

Then he turned to Carlos and in the most uncritical way, he asked, "Ever thought about band?"

Carlos gave a fake laugh while Jay howled with laughter. I didn't laugh at all. Right as Ben offered to train Carlos later, I saw movement in the corner of my eye. Nadra was sitting on the bleachers behind us, flipping through the pages of a book. As if she could feel my stare, she looked up and held my gaze and though I tried to look away, I just couldn't.

A hand on my shoulder jolted me out of my trance. "Hey, get your head in the game. The others are waiting for you."

Shaking my head vigorously, I replied, "Sorry, Coach. Won't happen again."

I looked over at the bleachers again but Nadra was back to reading her book. Sighing, I trudged out to the field and we ran the play again.

* * *

About an hour later, tourney practice was over. Coach dismissed us and the team dispersed to the locker rooms. I saw Jay heading off with the coach so they could talk and Ben pulled Carlos to the side for a bit of one-on-one practice.

Showering and redressing in my usual clothes, I looked at my schedule. Apparently, this hour was my free period so I could do whatever I wanted. Sweet.

I exited the locker room and headed off to find Mal. But, before I could take a step, a deep voice stopped me. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

I turned to see the buff guy I had outsmarted earlier that hour. He was flanked by two more team members and they all seemed kind of cranky. My usual cynical look settled on my face and I answered, "Does it matter?"

The tough guy's face turned red and one of his friends egged him on. "C'mon Fazil, are you really going to let this trash speak to you like that?" The buff guy – Fazil – sneered at me. "Yeah right. How does it feel? Knowing that everyone hear thinks you're garbage?"

"Garbage?" I asked and snorted. "Is that all you've got? I'm from the Isle. Everyone from the isle is self-proclaimed trash. If you want to hurt my feelings, you're going to need to try a bit harder. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got somewhere I need to go."

I took one step and then Fazil grabbed my shoulder and slammed me into the locker and glared at me in what he thought was menacingly. I yawned slightly. "You're a big coward, aren't you?"

Fazil clenched his teeth as a vein popped out. "What did you say, punk?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't even have to say it again. It's clear as day. Somehow, you think I'm a threat to you so you're ganging up on me. Or maybe Jay is the real threat but you have a feeling that you couldn't take him down even with your numbers. Carlos would be an easy target if Ben wasn't working with him. And picking on Carlos in Ben's presence would hurt not only your image but your parent's image. So for all intents and purposes, you're messing with me because you know you can't beat Jay and because you know you can't beat me on our own. That's why you're a coward."

Fazil glared at me and held up a fist. I stared unflinchingly at him and stiffened slightly. If it was a fight he wanted, I'd be happy to oblige.

"That'll be enough of that." A female voice spoke out and Fazil's face paled. Releasing me from his grip, he turned and got to his knees. "Princess Nadra, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Nadra frowned. "What does that mean? Are you trying to say that if I hadn't been here, you would've gotten into a fight with him for no reason at all besides the fact that you don't like him?"

"Y-no. Of course not." Fazil stammered, backtracking. "I was just doing what I had to do to protect you."

Nadra sighed. Reaching to the sword on her keychain, she unclipped it and pointed it at Fazil. At that moment, it expanded in Nadra's hand and soon, she was holding onto a real sword. "I may be a princess but I can take care of myself. You know that."

Fazil nodded vigorously. Nadra sighed. Then she turned to me. "Are you alright?"

I stuttered out a "fine" before pushing myself off the lockers and striding away. I heard Fazil yell my way but then Nadra began lecturing him again and he fell silent.

There was a bit of shuffling behind me and I turned to see Nadra running to catch up. Off in the distance, Fazil and his buddies glared at me but I ignored them and waited for Nadra. When she was close enough, she slowed to a stop. "Hey! Sorry about that. Fazil can be a douchebag sometimes."

Taking a deep breath, I replied stoically. "Like I said, it's fine. Just wasn't expecting the animosity so soon." Gesturing back down the path, I asked, "What was the deal with that guy anyway? He seemed to know you."

Nadra sighed. "Fazil. My dad hired him as a bodyguard while I'm away from home. Most of the time, he's rather tame. But, as you've probably noticed, he's quick to anger and doesn't like being usurped. When you kept beating him on the field, he took it as a personal insult and went out of his way to make you pay."

"You were watching us practice." It wasn't a question.

"Once I saw the first play, I noticed Fazil glaring at you. I figured he was going to try something later and decided to stop him before he could."

"Well, thanks, I guess." I mumbled. I wasn't a stranger to saying thank you. It was just that I wasn't used to saying it aloud.

"Wow," She said, giving me a lopsided grin. "I can almost feel the gratitude."

"Well, in my defense, I didn't ask you to help."

Nadra smiled. "Alright, next time, I'll mind my own business. How about that?"

I gave her a thumbs-up. "Sounds good to me."

We walked in silence for another few minutes.

"So," she asked, stressing the 'o', "Free period?"

"Is it really that obvious?" I replied.

"Not especially, no." She pulled at a lock of her hair. In the distance, a bell rang and it startled me slightly. "But, the bell signals the beginning and end of periods. Since we're both not running to class, I'm assuming we both have a free period now."

"Yeah, well, I'd probably go somewhere. If I had anywhere to go. I mean, there's got to be tons of places but…" I looked at her intently before changing my line of thought. "Never mind."

Nadra raised an eyebrow but seemed to get from my cues that it wasn't a good subject to bring up. So, she talked about something else. "So got any other periods with me?"

"Dunno…" I paused to pull my schedule out of my backpack and she read through it.

Then, she sighed. "We've got one class together. History of Auradon. So, we'll only see each other for two hours every day."

I frowned. "Why would you want to see me? I'm not that interesting."

Nadra looked like she was about to protest when she tilted her head in an inquisitive way.

"What's up?"

"I wasn't going to ask this since I thought it was a trick of the light the first time I saw it. But are your green or yellow?"

I stiffened but took a calming breath. No need to freak out just yet. "They're green. Why do you ask?"

"When we first met, you had green eyes. But, when Fazil was messing with you, it looked like they were slowly turning yellow. And it still looks that way."

 _Not this again._ I turned my eyes away and looked off in the distance. "Oh man, I just remembered. I was going to talk to Mal about something. But, then I got…sidetracked. I need to go find her."

"Oh, okay, then I guess I'll just see you in class." Nadra patted my shoulder and walked away. Just from her reaction, I knew I wasn't off the hook. Sooner or later, she would bring up my eyes again. And I would need some way to avoid it. Magic seemed to have an effect the first time. Unfortunately, the transformation spell must have need an infinite amount of magic to keep it sustained. Since I couldn't cast the spell forever, I needed a plan B.

* * *

"Why do you need my spell book again?" Mal asked, annoyed that I had barged into her room unannounced.

I moved to answer her but stalked over to the closed bathroom door instead. "Evie's not in there, is she?"

Mal shook her head. "Last I saw, she was hanging with that guy named Chad. They headed off near the tourney field about thirty minutes ago." She gestured to me. "Now tell me what the heck is wrong with you."

I sighed before letting the transformation spell slip. Mal's eyes grew to the size of plates as my usual green eyes blazed yellow, horns grew from my head, and my skin turned dark. Once she got a good look at the tail, she opened her spell book and shuffled through the pages. "Okay, what do you need? Transformation spell? I'm sure Mom's got one in here somewhere."

I sighed heavily. "If only it were that simple. This," I said, gesturing to my body, "started happening this morning. When I cast the first spell, it worked for a couple of hours but after that…" I trailed off. It was kind of clear what happened after.

Mal looked me up and down before turning back to the book. "My guess is that the spell requires your full attention. The moment you began to use your strength for other things was the moment it began to unravel."

"Are you saying that the only thing that I can do is cast this spell forever?" I chuckled, my voice devoid of humor. "Because that's going to get suspicious really quickly."

Mal rolled her eyes. "I'm saying that if it takes a constant amount of magic to keep the spell intact, then all we need is an item to act as a conduit to control and manage the spell, like an article of clothing or something that can't be easily removed."

I looked down at my clothes. At the long black trench coat and my forest green attire. My eyes strayed to my hands and as one, they focused on the fingerless glove on my right hand. Slipping it off, I placed it on her bed. "Use this."

Mal cast a spell on the glove to imbue it with magic from both the spell book and the natural magic of Auradon. Putting it back on, I noticed a surge of energy sweep through my body and I suddenly felt way stronger than before. "Here goes nothing." I took a deep breath. _"Of this form that's become quite a bore, change me back to the way I was before."_

Like before, the transformation was swift. But this time I had a feeling it would work better. When the spell was completed, I reveled in how relaxed I felt. "It worked," I sighed in relief. Mal's lips twitched like she was trying to conceal a smile.

"What's so funny?"

Mal calmed herself before answering. "Most of our friends wouldn't have called how you looked 'a bore'. In fact, why don't you tell them? You know, who your father is? If they knew, I'm sure they'd still treat you the same."

Checking a mirror to make sure that the spell took full effect, I rolled my eyes. "I have no qualms against telling them. And maybe, if we were still on the Isle, I would. But, we're in Auradon and if at all possible, I'd like to keep this secret for however long we're here."

Mal shook her head. "Yeah, well suit yourself."

Snatching the spell book from her hands and ignoring her protests, I remember the Memory spell I made up and said, " _From this book where spells hide, enter my mind, place knowledge inside."_

The pages fluttered restlessly as I cast the spell and only stopped once it was completed.

Tossing the book on her bed, I turned to exit the room. "Mind telling me what that was?" Mal asked haughtily.

"A Memory spell. Since Mom didn't trust me with the spell book, I made myself into one. All of the spells in her book are now etched into my brain. And now that I have this… power glove, I can use magic to cast them whenever necessary. So see ya." Leaving the room, I set off down the hall and to my History of Auradon class.

* * *

"Can anyone tell me which villain is believed to be the personification of all evil? Anyone?" The teacher looked around the room for a volunteer and his eyes landed on two hands. Fazil and Nadra. "Fazil?"

Fazil lowered his hand and replied, "No brainer there. Maleficent's the worst of the worst. Her and any scum associated with her." I could feel his glare on the back of my head when he said that particular bit. I ignored his comment and kept my eyes front.

Nadra scoffed. "Okay, are you done being a complete douchebag?" Fazil's eyes narrowed and he reluctantly shut his mouth.

Mr. Wallace turned to Nadra. "Alright, what do you think the answer is?"

"There are many such answers but given the wording of the question, there's only one being it could possibly be. Chernabog. It appeared about a millennia ago and began to take Auradon over and turn it into a hellish land. It would've succeeded if not for the sorcerer who managed to defeat it and boot the demon off to the Isle. It's believed that evil exists in this world because it exists."

"Right as always, Nadra." The teacher applauded and the class halfheartedly went along with him. "If we were talking about the modern days, it would be true that Maleficent is the worst of the worst. But if we're expanding the horizon, Chernabog is the vilest there is."

"Now, turn your books to Chapter 6 and read pages 102-115. I'll be back in a little while." Mr. Wallace turned and left the room. The moment the door closed, one of the students went to the door and the rest erupted into laughter and conversation. Getting up from my seat, I went over to Nadra, who was dutifully reading the assignment. Sitting down next to her, she immediately asked, "Did you want something?"

"Not really."

"Then go away."

"Nope."

She looked up from her reading and fixed me with a glare. I chuckled softly and whispered to her, "Unless your eyes can glow green, you're not going to get me to move."

She looked at me, the glare disappearing just as fast as it appeared. Finally, she said, "Fine."

She went back to her book and I went back to mine. Little did I know of the smile that graced her face the moment I turned away.

* * *

Mal, Evie, Carlos and I congregated into the girl's room after our classes were over. And already things were looking different. For starters, Carlos was on his laptop, looking up things. Shocking. But seriously, he was sitting next to a dog and not freaking out. I assumed Ben opened his eyes to the truth. Either that or he didn't know what a dog looked like. Then, there was Evie. The teachers, though rather reluctant, were doing their best to make us feel at home here. That also meant assigning homework. But, from the stacks of books on the table, I knew that Evie had way more work than the rest of us, which wasn't fair in the least. I was about to call her out on it but Mal shook her head and told me to drop it.

Jay walked in the room and struck a pose. The tourney jersey was an impressive sight. For a split second, I wondered how long before I got mine before realizing I didn't care.

Carlos whistled, impressed. Jay walked over to the window and addressed Mal. "Did your plan work with Jane? Can you get her to steal the wand?"

Mal was annoyed. "You think that I would be going through every single spell in this book if I hadn't completely struck out?"

"Someone's in a bad mood," Carlos muttered.

"More of a bad mood than usual?" I asked with a frown. "That's a first."

"Our mom's counting on us. We can't let her down." Mal snapped.

"Like I haven't heard that before," I snapped back.

"We can do this," Jay spoke out before the argument could get worse. We all froze and turned his way. "If we stick together."

Mal nodded. "And we won't go back until we do… because we're rotten."

"To the core," We said in unison.

Evie decided that it would be a good time to mention that Fairy Godmother wouldn't use her wand until the coronation, which was only days away. Unfortunately, that stopped us from stealing it during some moment of the night. If we wanted to steal it now, I'd have to be in broad daylight with about a million spectators all around.

Someone knocked on the door and since there weren't that many people who even acknowledged our presence, I had an idea who was on the other side. Mal opened the door and there stood Prince Ben.

"Hey, Mal," He said hesitantly. "I didn't see you guys today. I was just wondering if you had any questions or anything… you need."

Mal was the picture of nonchalance as she answered, "Nothing that I can think of." The others shook their heads to help with the ruse.

Ben was relieved and just about to excuse himself when she called him back. "Oh wait, is it true that we all get to go to your coronation?"

"Yeah, the whole school goes."

"Wow, that is beyond exciting. Do you think that it's a possibility that the five of us can stand in the front row next to the Fairy Godmother so that we could soak up all that goodness?"

Ben's smile turned into a frown. "I wish you could. Up front, it's just me, my folks, and my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend?" Mal echoed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." He really seemed apologetic.

"Okay, thanks. Bye!" Mal shut the door in his face. I muttered, "Keep slamming the door in his face and he'll definitely think something's up."

Mal ignored me. "I think it's time that Benny-Boo got himself a new girlfriend. And I know just the love spell." Carlos tossed her the spell book and we got to work.

* * *

"Alright, it says we still need one tear."

Carlos went digging in the onion box. "Just cut some onions."

"C'mon Carlos, this is magic. It's not that simple." I said. "It's probably supposed to be a tear with specific properties."

"It says that we need one tear of human sadness." Mal elaborated. "This love potion gets the best reviews so we need to follow it exactly."

Jay was bored. "A tear's a tear."

Evie shook her head. "That's not true, Jay. They both have antibodies and enzymes but an emotional tear is more protein based than a reflex tear."

"You go, girl!" I said, snickering.

Evie blushed and we went back to the recipe. The door on the side opened and the girl that visited them earlier walked in. I think her name was Loonie?

"There you are, Mal. I was looking for you. You know, all the girls want you to do their hair." She eyed the mix. "Midnight snack, huh? Whatcha guys making?"

"Cookies." I said off the top of my head.

Lonnie dipped a finger in and tasted before we could stop her. Noticing our over exaggerated expressions, she tried to reassure us. "What? I'm not going to double dip."

Evie tried to compose herself. "Do you feel anything?"

"Yeah," Mal added, "Like maybe it could be missing something?"

At that moment, Jay had the ridiculous idea of hitting on her but if she noticed, it didn't show. She ignored him and said, "It could use some chips."

Mal sighed in disappointment. "And those are?"

"Chocolate chips," she explained. "Just the most important food group." She sprinkled some into the mix noticing our confused expressions. "Wait, didn't your parents ever make you guys like chocolate chip cookies?"

We stared at her blankly. "Like when you're feeling sad and they're fresh from the oven with a big old glass of milk and she just laughs and puts everything into perspective and…" She trailed as she watched our spirits plummet even lower. Mal and I shared a look. It wasn't sadness really. It was more like we were wistful.

Lonnie looked around. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Mal went back to stirring. "It's just different where we're are from."

"Yeah, I know. I just thought even villains love their kids."

We all looked down then and Lonnie's face paled. "How awful." She went to grab Mal's hand and as she did, a tear sidled down her cheek. With one fellow motion, I swiped the tear from her cheek and dropped it into the mix.

Lonnie touched her cheek and was about to ask me why I just did that. But I just ushered her out saying, "Thanks for listening. You're really cool. Sweet dreams! Bye!" She left in a hurry but it didn't matter to me that much. The operation was a go.

* * *

The next day, it was easier to breeze through my classes now that we had a set schedule. Plus, we had one custom brewed love potion for dear old Prince Ben. Once he took a bite out of one of those cookies, he would be in Mal's clutches and we'd all be one step closer to our goal.

After my History of Auradon class, I made my way to the school library to check out a couple of books. If I was going to counter my father's insistent pestering of my life, I was going to need to know what I was dealing with. Discreetly looking through the shelves, I happened upon a couple of books that seemed prominent enough. I just hadn't counted on a certain someone being in the same aisle.

"Lev!" Nadra's eyes raised in surprise. She noted the books in my hand as she made her way to my side. Reaching up to grab the first book, she raised an eyebrow at me as she read aloud, "The Magical Wonders of Puberty?"

My face went beet red and I snatched the book from her fingers and placed it on the nearby shelf. "It's not what you think. I saw it on one of the tables and I was putting it back. That's all."

Nadra's amused expression didn't waver but she didn't call me out on it. Trailing her eyes down the spine of each book I carried, she whistled. "Wow, haven't seen so many books about magic in my life. You really want to read them all? I mean, you still have lunch and the tourney game later. You'll need to eat and save your strength if you want to do good today."

I snorted at that and carried the books to the front desk to check them out. As the librarian hurriedly went through my stack while avoiding my eyes, I turned back to Nadra and scoffed. "I doubt the coach is going to let me or Carlos on the field. I mean, it's only been one day."

Nadra smiled. "I wouldn't worry too much about that. Just like the coach saw something in Jay, he saw something in you too. I doubt you'll be on the sidelines for too long."

I frowned but kept my silence. When the librarian asked for my school card, I complied, put the books in my bag and left the building, with Nadra hot on my heels.

Around lunchtime, I found myself flocking near Mal's locker. Most of the school was getting ready for the big tourney game today. Nadra was being a true friend and giving me a pep talk. By the time I had made it back to my locker, she had almost finished. "And just know that no matter what happens, if we don't win today's game, it'll most likely be your fault. And the team will blame you for their misfortune. And that's all you need to know about tourney. Both the good and bad. Good luck." She smiled happily, gave me a two fingered salute and walked off. _That girl…_

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mal putting our plan into action. Ben, the ever trusting fool, didn't think anything was amiss.

Mal managed to sweet talk (I might as well say guilt trip; it's technically the same thing) Ben into taking a bite of one of the cookies. Right as she was asking how they were, the spell started taking effect.

"How do you feel, bro?" Jay asked.

"I feel… I feel… I feel like singing your name. Malllllllllll! MHHHHH!" Mal covered his mouth and still, he tried singing.

"Please tell me this isn't some wanton form of a high school musical. The last thing we need is people breaking out in song as if it's normal." I groaned.

* * *

It seems that Nadra was right on the money when she told me that I would be placed in the game. I had been put in during the last half of the game. And I was doing what I did best: confusing the hell out of the other team. I'm not sure what the rules of tourney were regarding magic but by changing the sight of the enemy team, I was able to make them believe I was on their team and more often than not, I was able to get them to pass it to me and display it as me stealing the ball from them.

It worked for a time. Then around the last two minutes, the Coach sent both Jay and Carlos in. I had assumed Carlos was going to be a benchwarmer but it seemed that Jay wanted to end this game with a bang. Jogging up to them, I asked, "What's the plan?"

"Destroy them, what else?"

The first run of Jay's strategy didn't go as planned. Though we had the other team on the ropes and both Jay and Carlos had some nice moments, the other team's goalie was able to block Jay's shot.

There were only twenty two minutes on the clock and it was a no-brainer that this was the final play. When the other team's goalie put the ball back into the game, Jay immediately intercepted the ball and managed to get around the guy blocking him. Noting the opponent making his way towards Ben's blind spot, I charged into him and used my shield to stop his advance. "Ben, go!"

Acting as a buffer force, I kept any and all players off Ben as we sprinted across the field. To our right, Jay and Carlos were using a similar maneuver that managed to get us through the kill one quickly. With ten seconds on the clock, Jay threw the ball at Carlos, who bounced it off his shield and high into the air. Jay yelled for Ben to take the shot and he did. The ball hit the net and the home side erupted in cheers. We won. Our final score: 3-2.

If this wasn't the most shocking thing to happen that day, I didn't know what would be.

"Excuse me, excuse me, can I have your attention, please?" Ben gets on the shooter. "There's something I'd like to say." The crowd's cheers died down and stared at Ben with rapt attention.

"Give me an M!"

"M!" The Crowd shouts back.

"Give me an A!"

"A!"

"Give me an L!"

"L!"

"What's that spell?"

"MAL!"

"Come on, I can't hear you."

"MAL!"

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?" Ben asked and that's when everyone broke out into song and I groaned. "Oh my god, this is a high school musical. Called it."


	3. Chapter 3: Revealed

**A/N: This should have been out way earlier. And I don't blame you guys If you hate me for not putting this out sooner. Truth be told, the entirety of this chapter and the next had mostly been written. Unfortunately, Chapter 3 had a couple dozen plotholes that had to be tied up before I could publish and I only just got to them today. So, at the very least, enjoy the next chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Revealed**

Let me be the first to say: I don't dance and I definitely don't sing. That being said, what unholy power is making me dance to this god forsaken song? Never mind the fact that the entire tourney team is in sync and the band automatically knew the song that Ben just made up. There was some primo magic in the air and it confused the living hell out of me.

Watching as Ben surfed the crowd on his way to Mal, I, at least, came to the conclusion that everything about what just happened was majorly ridiculous.

"I love you, Mal! Did I mention that?" Ben proclaimed to the entire school.

Then Audrey came out of nowhere and grabbed the mike. "Chad's my boyfriend. And I'm going to the coronation with him so I don't need your pity date." She kissed Chad.

Ben grabbed the mike back. "Mal, will you go to the coronation with me?"

She grabbed the mike and with a chipper voice shouted, "Yes!"

"She said yes!" Ben cried in victory and the crowd applauded.

I made my way to Nadra who was watching me with a calm, serene smile. "Good game!"

"Let's go." I said pointing to the campus and stretching out my hand.

"Go where?" She asked slightly confused.

"Doesn't matter. So long as I don't have to sing another song, anywhere's good." She placed her hand and mine and together, we ran off back to campus.

"Please tell me that doesn't happen often." I begged. We were walking down one of the school's many nature trails when I popped that question. The unnatural energy of that whole encounter was weird to me and I was still trying to wrap my mind around it.

"What? You mean the singing or the dancing?" There was a smile across her face so I'm guessing she was enjoying how absolutely flustered that I was.

"Both. It's one thing when two or three people know the lyrics to a song that someone just made up. But an entire crowd?"

She pursed her lips as she thought through her answers. "Do you want me to lie?"

"I don't mind if you do." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Then, no, that's most definitely an unnatural thing and I think that we may have a real-life problem on our hands." She smirked and I scowled.

"Why is it that even when you're lying, all I really hear is the sarcasm?"

"My dad's very sarcastic and, if you didn't know, he's the best of the best when it comes to using it. Guess I just picked up the habit."

"Doesn't seem like the best habit to have," I said in mock concern. She heard the cynicism in my voice and countered with, "Like you really can say anything."

"Touché." I said before turning my eyes towards her. "But seriously, what's with the songs?"

She chuckled slightly. "This was before most of the stories we know today. Like Sleeping Beauty or the Tales of the Arabian Nights or anything really. Back then, the world was still getting back on its feet. In that time, there was a fairy who wanted to help the world. She believed that if people can just come to understand each other, then we could make our world a better place. So, she cast a spell to do just that."

"How does breaking out into song and dance help us understand each other?"

"Songs can be useful if you want to convey emotions of some sort. To understand one another, emotions of empathy and compassion were needed to help everyone see what was best for one another. Add that to the fact that almost anyone can learn to sing and dance and it's the perfect idea for patching up the rest of the world. At least that was the reasoning at the time." She explained, as detailed as possible.

"Okay, but this fairy must have cast this spell ages ago. How come it's still working?"

"I'd like to think that she's like your mom… in a sense. She's definitely one of the more powerful fairies I've ever heard of. It's believed that if she and your mom had a fight, there's no telling who would come out on top."

"So she's that strong? Kinda a scary thought. Maleficent's known as the Mistress of Evil so this fairy must be like the Mistress of Goodness or something. What I wouldn't pay to see that fight?"

Nadra gave me an odd look but shook her head before I could ask about it. "How come you don't like your mother?"

My eyes snapped towards hers, shell-shocked. "W-what are you talking about? Where did you come up with that crazy idea?"

"The look on your face when you talk about her; you always look angry. Plus, there is the fact that we've been talking for a good while yet you've never called her your mom once. At least not in public when anyone could hear. You act ashamed." She said.

I didn't say anything for a while. Then:

"We've been gone for a while. Maybe we should go back."

I turned to go back the way we came. A hand grabbed at my jersey and held on, holding me in place. "Why are you distancing yourself from me?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." My voice was flat as I answered.

"Yes you do. You're just trying to ignore the problem until it goes away. But, you can't go through your life ignoring what you don't like or understand." She whispered.

"It's always worked before. So, there's no reason to change now." I said firmly. "End of discussion."

She sighed. "Really? Because I don't think so. Tell you what: we'll go back for today. I'll forget about this conversation for now. But tomorrow, you'll meet me back here and we'll share our secrets. How's that sound?"

"Why in the world would you think I'd agree to this?" I scoffed.

Nadra shrugged. "I'm not expecting you to agree with anything. Even if you decide not to come, I'll be here waiting. And even if you do come, you don't have to share anything if you don't want to."

I looked to her with a certain curiosity but she only shook her head one more time before walking back the way we came.

* * *

"Children, excuse me," Fairy Godmother came up to us. "This Thursday is Family Day here at Auradon Prep. And because your parents can't be here due to the… um distance, we've arranged for a special treat." She hurried back to the front of the room and beckoned us forward.

We shuffled forward to see what this surprise was. In the front was a TV monitor. Fairy Godmother pressed a button on a remote and the TV flashed on and we all took a step back. Maleficent, Jafar, the Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil were all staring at us and it was slightly unnerving. At least until Maleficent said, "I don't see anything. Nor do I hear."

Then, there was a scuffle with the laptop and I chuckled, hoping that the sound hadn't been turned on yet. This was too good right now.

It got even better when Cruella gave Fairy Godmother a pointed look. "Who's the old bat?"

I literally had to bite my tongue to keep from howling with laughter. Yeah, yeah. I know Nadra was adamant in believing that I was a good person no matter who raised me. But, the isle's influence wasn't just going to disappear in four days. And so, I choked on my laugh and tried to make it seem as though I was disappointed in her word choice.

Mal introduced her to our parents and Maleficent gave an almost mischievous smirk. "Still doing tricks with eggplants?"

Fairy Godmother's face turned red. "I turned a pumpkin into a beautiful carriage."

Maleficent smiled. "You really couldn't give Cinderella until 1 a.m. I mean, really?" Do the hamsters get stuck on their little wheels?"

"They were mice!" Fairy Godmother turned to us and Mal and I did our best to calm her down. Then she stepped to the side and allowed us some time to talk to our parents. Under supervision of course.

Maleficent was, unfortunately, no better than Mal at keeping secrets. It took suggestive hints from the other villains to stop her from saying anything that would give us away. We gave her the date of the coronation and she seemed to compose herself as well. It actually hadn't been that bad of a talk with our parents. At least not until Cruella opened her mouth again. "Carlos, is that a dog?"

We all took a look at Dude before looking back at the screen. I didn't catch all of what Cruella said but it was definitely disturbing, to say the least. That's when Carlos snapped. "He's the perfect size for a pet. This dog loves me and I love him. And FYI, your dog is stuffed. So give it a rest."

Jafar began to jeer at Cruella and then all of the villains began to argue amongst themselves. I noticed that everyone seemed miserable as we watched our parents bicker and squabble. Not being able to take much more of this, I jumped forward, took the remote and turned off the power. The screen went dark and I sighed, handing the remote to Fairy Godmother. "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." She said.

Jay smiled genuinely. "Thanks for the sentiment."

"Of course."

We began to grab our things and head from the room. Halfway down the aisle, Evie asked the question that was on all of our minds. "M, what do you think our parents are going to do to us I we can't pull this off?"

Mal gave me a look and I shrugged. "Don't look at me. She asked you."

"I think they will be quietly disappointed in us but ultimately proud of us for doing our best." Mal gave us a reassuring smile that I didn't believe for a second. But Carlos was a little bit more gullible.

"Really?"

"Not even. There is no doubt in my mind that we're all goners." I said and Mal agreed. Then, we got ready for the day ahead of us.

* * *

It was nearly time for me to meet up with Nadra. But, I hesitated for a moment which turned into two moments before just sitting on my bed in indecision.

Without a knock, Mal entered the room, depositing herself on my bed and just staring at me with an unreadable expression.

Breaking the silence, I asked her what was up.

"I'm kind of wondering that myself. You seemed troubled by something. The others have noticed it too."

I gave her an apathetic laugh. "Didn't know the others cared so much." I rested my head on the pillows and after a while, Mal followed suit and we just laid there in silence.

Then:

"Can't you be serious about this? We really are worried even if you don't believe that. I mean, I'm your sister and they're your friends. No matter how much we act like your problems don't matter, it's not true."

I let her keep talking. "You know," she added hesitantly, "Evie and the others figured out why you don't like Mom."

I sat straight up and stared at her with wide eyes. "WHAT?!"

Mal gauged my expression before biting back a laugh. "Don't be so dramatic. All they know is why you and Mom don't get along."

"And how would they know that?"

"… I may have let it slip that we were half siblings." She muttered.

I took a deep breath. "Well, as long as his name didn't leave your lips, I'm good."

Mal glanced at me in thought. "Still don't feel like telling the others? I mean, now that they have more clues about your father, it won't take that long before they piece it together for themselves."

"Maybe but if I'm going to tell anyone, I'm probably going to have to start small. Let a few people know at a time." I shivered as a sudden thought came to me. "Can you imagine if I screamed out to the world who my dad was? No one would ever be able to look me in the eye ever again." I let out a small laugh.

Mal joined in. "The entire school would probably try burning you at the stake with no questions asked. Even still, it would be awesome to see the looks of fear and astonishment plastered across their faces."

"I'm going to hope that I won't see those looks for a while." Glancing at the clock on the wall, I got up from the bed and said, "I've got somewhere I need to be. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Making my way to the clearing that Nadra and I had stopped in yesterday, I began to mull my thoughts over a little more. Was I a fool for coming back out here? Maybe. But, I was curious. Why was Nadra trying so hard to win my trust? And why did I want her too? Why was it about her that made it hard for me to say no and just walk away?

My musing was interrupted as a song on the wind reached my ears.

 _"_ _I can show you the world…"_

 _"_ _Shining, shimmering, splendid…"_

The voice disappeared as quickly as it had come but I couldn't get the voice out of my head. It was soft and almost ephemeral, fading into the wind. But the melody of the song had enraptured me and I could do nothing but follow the voice back to the source. As I walked, the voice became louder. The voice was still a whisper but it was more defined and pleasant. I knew who was singing but even I wasn't expecting this. Nadra was sitting in the path with her back to me. The singing had stopped but she was still humming the melody. A few feet from her, I stopped and stood in silence. I knew that if I sat down, there would be no going back. Swallowing my uncertainty, I crossed the distance and sat opposite her.

For a while, we just sat in silence.

"You came." She said. "I didn't think you were going to."

Looking away, I said, "If you want, I can still leave."

"No. It's okay." Nadra seemed uncomfortable. "So how do you wanna start this?"

"It was your idea." I pointed out. "You tell me."

She scratched her head and thought it through. "Okay, how about this? I'll start by telling you something about myself. And once I'm done, then you can share…" Noting my unwillingness, she amended her statement. "You can tell me something if you want. If not, you can just say, 'Pass' and I'll just pick up where you left off."

I was probably going to regret this later but I nodded in agreement.

Pleased, Nadra replied, "Okay, I'll start small. I've got an older brother on the tourney team."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice." Nadra smiled, her face giving off an amused look. "When you played in the tourney game yesterday and Carlos and Jay were sent out, two players had to be benched. One of them was my brother."

Thinking back to yesterday, I remembered seeing two guys get benched but only one of them had looked similar to Nadra. "Amir's your older brother?"

She laughed out loud. "He can be taught!"

Ignoring the jab, I muttered, "Amir never mentioned having a sister."

"Yeah, I doubt he would. Especially not to a 'boy from the Isle' as he puts it." Nadra sighed. "Amir's got a big brother complex. He believes that it's his job to protect me from everything. Ever since Ben's proclamation, he's been keeping a closer eye on me since I…" I must have looked really eager to hear what she was about to say because she composed herself and said, "I think that's enough for now. It's your turn."

I didn't want to say anything. I wanted to listen to Nadra as she recounted stories and memories. But, something in me wanted to spill the beans about everything. Realizing that doing so would be potentially bad, I cast aside the thought and said, "Despite Mal and I being twins, she was born on a Friday night and I was born on a Saturday morning."

Nadra raised her eyebrows in surprise but otherwise remained quiet. I scratched the back of my head as I began to sweat slightly. Did she think that I wasn't really participating and that she should quit while she was ahead? Or maybe…

"I've got a pet tiger named Azim." Nadra let this slip out right as I was contemplating all of the things that could go wrong.

"A pet tiger?"

Nadra noticed the look of skepticism that graced my features and sighed. "Is it really that hard to believe that I can tame a tiger?"

"Not really, no." I said, backtracking, "It's just that I was surprised. Most people go down the dog or cat route. But you've got a tiger."

Nadra unhooked another one of her charms from her key chain. "Technically, a tiger is a cat."

Giving me a devilish grin, she threw the trinket into the air and shouted, "Azim, appear!"

The clearing was lit with a blinding light and I had to look away for a split second. When I was able to look again, I jumped to my feet and froze. Right in front of me was a black tiger, a big one. Azim stood at six feet, almost a full foot taller than me. Its blue eyes gazed at Nadra before training their sights on me. He snarled and took a threatening step forward. Instinctively, I took a step back. The only people I mess with are people I know I can take. Could I take on a tiger? Maybe. Could I take on a magical tiger on steroids? Doubtful.

Nadra put her hand on its head and immediately, he calmed down and leaned into her, craving the contact. Again, she sat down and Azim lowered himself to the ground to make a cushion for her to lay back on.

When we got situated once more, I asked the obvious question. "Where in the world do you get a magic tiger?"

She shrugged and replied vaguely. "When your godfather is a magical genie, things happen."

I warily looked at the tiger and Nadra noticed. "Don't worry, he won't attack you. He only attacks if I consider the person to be a threat. And the opposite works as well. If I wish to protect a friend, Azim will protect them for me. He may also listen to someone else if I trust them enough."

I watched as Nadra snuggled into Azim's fur and the cat purred. After a minute or two of silence, she sighed. "You know, you could stand to say something. I was being quiet because I was waiting but…" She trailed off. "You really don't want to do this, do you?"

I opened my mouth to speak in protest but no sound came out. Closing my mouth just as quickly, I averted my gaze and studied the ground.

I could feel Nadra's stare on me while I looked away. "I…" I didn't know what to say or even what I wanted to say.

This was a bad idea and I knew it was. I knew that if I looked up, I'd see Nadra's disappointed gaze and I didn't want that. So, turning around, I began to walk away from the clearing.

 _I can show you the world_

 _Sparkling, shimmering, splendid_

An arm grabbed my wrist holding me back. Stopping in my tracks, I spun around to see Nadra, her eyes closed as she sang. And something inside me stirred at the lyrics.

 _Tell me, Princess, now when did_

 _You last let your heart decide?_

I had never heard the song before but something about it felt familiar.

 _I can open your eyes_

Nadra stopped singing, her eyes shooting open as I began to sing. I didn't know what was going on. I wasn't familiar with this song and yet…

 _Take you wonder by wonder_

 _Over, sideways, and under_

 _On a magic carpet ride_

It was only when I stopped that I fixed Nadra with a confused look. "Why did you start singing? You know I hate singing."

Nadra seemed to be in shock. "Sorry, I had no idea if that would work or not."

"Uh… work?" I asked.

"It's nothing. I just… you were leaving and I wanted you to stay so I did the first thing that came to mind."

"Getting me to sing?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "Well, I suppose it could have been worse. It could have been that impromptu song Ben came up with. But, it wasn't. It sounded melodic and soothing and familiar for some reason. Must be more of that fairy's magic, huh?"

Nadra looked away. "I-I suppose it was."

I frowned. Her responses seemed odd like she was hiding something. But pot calling the kettle black…

"I'm sorry." I said.

Nadra looked at me blankly. "For what?"

"You were just trying to be nice and get to know me. Other than my sister and my friends, I didn't think I needed anyone else. So, when you came up with this idea of sharing our secrets, I just froze and wanted nothing to do with it."

Nadra was silent. But, then she gave me a knowing smile. "It's not your fault. I guess it's just not that easy to earn your trust. No harm done. I still think you're cool and I hope we can become friends. In time, of course."

She gave me a smile and began to walk away. This time, I surged forward and grabbed ahold of her arm. "Wait!"

She turned back towards me, startled. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my raging nerves. "Do you want to see something cool?"

* * *

"This is amazing!" Nadra said, the wind blowing her hair about. "How are you doing this?"

I smirked and looked down at the people below us. They were the size of ants and it was amazing. "It's nothing but a simple flight spell. Applying it to a regular carpet gives it the ability to fly. So, in a way, we're on our own magic carpet ride."

I proceeded to do some twists in turns in the air while Nadra looked around us in awe. "I can't believe this." She laughed loudly and it was as if sunlight had been given a voice.

I did this for a couple more minutes before I glided back down to the forest floor. Once we got to solid ground, Nadra jumped up in excitement. "Your magic… it's unbelievable. And the ride was so indescribable. I almost can't put my feeling into words."

I gave a genuine smile. "I get what you mean. Being up there, it's kinda like being free. No limitations, no walls, no one telling you who you can be or what you can do. Your life isn't laid out for you; you can be whoever you wish. And up there, it really feels like all of that is true."

Nadra laughed again. And I thought about it. If I were ever to tell anyone about me… I have a feeling it would be her. My hand found a way to my power glove as I contemplated this. "Hey, Nadra?"

"Yes?"

"There's one other thing I wanted to tell you." I said nervously.

She gave me a calming look. "What is it?"

My grip tightened on the glove as I began to remove it. "I-I… um."

And then I stopped and let my hand fall away. "I just wanted you to know that even now, I think of you as a good friend."

"I feel the same." The look on her face made me perk up, despite not having said what I had been planning to.

After some more idle talk, Nadra bid me farewell and began walking back to the dorms. I watched her go with a smile on my face. Once she disappeared from view and her footfalls vanished in the distance, I let the smile drop from my face. Taking a glance at my gloved hand, I ripped the glove from my hand and threw it to the ground. I should have had the courage to do that earlier.

"Damn, I'm such a coward." With the change occurring once more, I took a moment or two to clear my thoughts. Once I finished, I retrieved my glove, slipped it on and performed my spell. Then, with the carpet in one hand, I exited the woods and went back to the dorms.

* * *

"Okay, it will be up on the dais under the Beast's spell jar," Mal reiterated, pointing at her drawing of the wand. "And we'll be coming in from here. I'll be in the very front. You all will be up in the balcony. Carlos?"

"I'll find our limo so we can escape with the wand."

"Perfect." Mal pulled a perfume bottle out of her bag and handed it to Evie. "You will use this to take out the driver. Two sprays and he'll be out like a light." Evie nodded and placed the bottle in her purse. "Lev? You remember the plan?"

"In case something goes wrong, Jay and I will stay with you for additional support, whether physical or magical. I got it."

The others understood the plan fine but we all had gained so much in the small time we'd been here. And now, we were throwing it away. It just wasn't fair.

* * *

It was Family Day and I'm happy to say that I only heard a small bit of the chorus as a distinct group of students sang to their heart's content. Scanning the rows, I noticed Nadra singing along with the others. Glancing at me and noticing my smirk, she sighed but got back into character and finished the song.

When they finished, there was a tumulus amount of applause. I clapped along too. Even if I hated singing, I had to admit that Nadra was good at it.

"Mal!"

I looked up to see Ben gesturing to Mal. I grinned. "I think Loverboy's calling you."

She pushed me playfully and went to meet him. My eyes followed her as she made her way to him.

"They're pretty good together." Nadra said, walking up.

"Yeah, they are," I agreed.

She then punched me in my arm. "What was that for?"

"Don't think I didn't notice all of those weird looks you gave me. You're going to rag on me because I can sing, aren't you?" Nadra pouted as she waited for me to answer.

"What? No, the idea never crossed my mind." I said but then added as an afterthought, "Although…"

She punched me in the chest next but this time it wasn't as hard. "You're horrible," she grumbled.

"Takes one to know one." I smiled impishly and she returned my smile in full. "It's alright. Maybe I'll go around telling everyone how magnificent your singing voice is. That'll be a laugh."

I shook my head and laughed. "So where are the 'rents anyway?"

Nadra's eyebrows raised at the mention of the word 'rents but politely answered anyway. "Spending time with Amir. They told me I could go and talk to some of my friends for a while and that they'd call me when it was time for dinner."

"Cool," Mal said walking into the conversation.

"Hey, Mal," Nadra gave her a quick hug. "What's up?"

"Ben's parents invited us to play croquette with them before we go to dinner."

I smiled. "Can I bring Nadra too?"

Mal's grin wavered. "I'm sure they won't say no if she joins the game. I'm not a hundred percent sure about the dinner though. You'll have to ask Ben."

"Hey, the game's better than nothing. Let's go." Nadra grabbed my hand and pulled me across the lawn.

We had invested nearly an hour into the game when things began to go downhill. Like tourney, croquette was a game that required me to learn the rules in all of two minutes and guess at everything else that I couldn't explain or understand. Nadra helped to fill in the blanks and this was easily becoming the best day of my life. But the universe loves proving me wrong and this time, it might have been entirely my fault.

"You!" The shouts of an older woman drew everyone's attention to us. Turning, I saw Mal talking with an older woman. Audrey was there too. And that's when I knew that something was definitely wrong with this picture. The woman looked at Mal in shock. "How are you here? And how have you managed to stay so young?"

Ben ran up to appease the situation and Nadra and I followed. "Queen Leah, it's okay. Maleficent is still on the island. This is her daughter, Mal and her son, Lev. Didn't you remember my proclamation to give the new generation a chance?"

The queen was unfazed. "A chance to what, Ben? Destroy us?" She turned to Fairy Godmother. "You remember, don't you? The poison apples?" Then she looked Queen Belle and King Beast straight into the eyes. "And the spells?" Her voice lowered to a whisper. "The spells… my daughter was raised by fairies because of your mother's curse. Her first words… her first steps… I MISSED IT ALL!" She began to cry into Fairy Godmother's shoulder and Mal and I exchanged glances of guilt. She tried to apologize in Maleficent's stead when Chad pushed her hands away.

"No way, stay away from her!"

A vein popped out on Ben's head. "Don't do this, Chad!"

Chad looked incredulous, as if he couldn't understand what Ben was saying. "What? They were raised by their parents, Ben. What do you think villains teach their kids, huh? Kindness, fair play? No way!" Then, he began to rant, starting with Mal. "You stole another girl's boyfriend." Then Jay. "You enjoy hurting people." Then Evie. "And you… you're nothing but a gold digger and a cheat."

Evie snarled and brought out her mirror. "Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who's the biggest jerk in the land?" She showed it off and this time, the mirror did nothing allowing Chad to look at his reflection in the looking glass. He clenched his fist and went to grab Evie but I grabbed him and held him in place. Wrinkling his shirt thoroughly, I growled, "Don't you dare touch her, you sick bastard."

Chad's only response was to laugh. "And you… you might be the worst of them all." His voice began to rise, drawing even more of a crowd than there already was. "So do you want to tell them or should I?"

"What the heck are you talking about, pretty boy?"

"You know what, maybe I should show them?" Escaping my grip, he grabbed ahold of my power glove and my eyes widened in alarm. Ripping it off of me, he stepped back. The crowd was silent for all of a few seconds before…

"AUGGGHHHH!"

Screams rang out and the crowd dispersed widely. I was exposed for everyone to see and it was not a pretty sight. My yellow eyes glowed brightly and the horns had grown to their fullest height. I seemed to have put on some muscle which was stretching my suit to the point of tearing it. I had grown talons on my feet and five claws on each hand. My canines were elongated and I couldn't properly shut my mouth while they were like that. My skin was midnight black, which only managed to further the look. I was like a demon. I _was_ a demon.

Chad gave Ben a victorious smile. "I don't remember your proclamation saying anything about children of Chernabog."

Despite my apparent uncomfortableness, I took a step forward. "Give me back my glove."

Chad smirked nastily and proceeded to push me back. "Or what? You'll cast a spell on me?" Then he grabbed a piece of my tattered suit and brought us face-to-face yet again. "You don't call the shots here. None of you do."

Apparently, everyone else had had enough of this. Evie pulled the sleeping draught from her purse and sprayed Chad twice, which knocked him out like a light. While he was falling, I snatched my glove out of his hand, slipped it on and recast the spell. While the other students tried to wake Chad up, Carlos, Evie, and Jay grabbed me and pulled me up. Searching the crowd for Nadra, I spotted her eyeing me worriedly. To her right, Fazil and Amir were glaring at me as they stood protectively in front of her. I turned away quickly before we had another confrontation. Then, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, and I ran away, knowing that one of the best days of our lives took a huge nosedive and became the worst of them all.

* * *

We were sitting at one of the many lunch tables that surrounded the school. We could have easily gone back to our rooms and brooded there. But I think some of us were still trying to figure out just where all of this went wrong. I know I was. "How did he find out about that?" I said aloud.

The others chanced glances my way but didn't ask. It was obvious what I was talking about. If anything, it was the most revealing thing that had happened. I hadn't needed to see my friend's faces to know that they had been just as shocked and confused about my parentage as everyone else. And even now they were looking at me like they couldn't quite believe that I wouldn't tell them about something this big.

The sounds of fake laughter and the smell of overused perfume drifted from the common area. The popular crowd stopped at a table behind us and began to talk amongst themselves, with conversations ranging from Prince Ben's coronation to insulting us with the full intention of letting us hear.

When Ben walked up, none of us were in the mood to acknowledge him, even if he was the only one to stand by us. "Hey guys, how is everyone?"

His question was met with silence. Glancing at him for a brief moment, I saw Nadra walking up behind him. Her eyes met mine and my heart warmed up. But then, a shout from Fazil made her freeze. She glanced at him and then at her brother. Amir glared at me before shouting as well. "Nadra, over here."

Nadra looked between the two tables, indecision wrapped in her gaze. She looked at me with teary eyes and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' before striding over to their table and sitting with her back facing me. In that moment, the sliver of hope that I had extinguished like a light and I felt like crawling into a ditch and staying there for eternity.

Ben, having failed to brighten our day, gave Mal a hug and said, "I'll see you guys later."

Then, he left us with only our thought to keep us company. Well, that and…

"How long does she think that's going to last?" Audrey said, coming up behind Mal. "Mal's just a bad girl infatuation." To make matters worse, Jane decided to join in. "Yeah, I mean, he's never going to make a villain a queen." They gave cruel smiles and began to laugh with their friends. Meanwhile, Mal pulled out her spell book and I clenched my fists. "Are you going to do the honors or shall I?"

Mal flipped to the page she needed and said the spell. "Beware, forswear, undo Jane's hair." She made a cross motion, there was a scream and the crowd parted to reveal Jane with her original hairstyle. Chuckling, I pulled myself up from and went to stand next to my sister. "You girls would do well to learn your places."

Mal closed her book and gave them a cold stare. "There's a lot more where that came from."

Audrey looked at us in disgust. "Excuse me, who do you think you are?"

I unclenched my fists and brandished my power glove. "I don't know. You tell me. Besides…"

Mal and I snarled. "Does it look like we're kidding?" We each began to prepare a spell and the girls finally got the picture as they began to run away. I saw Amir pulling Nadra away, but it looked like Amir was forcing Nadra to follow. But, in the end, she ran like everyone else.

Mal turned to address us. "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow." Evie smiled, Carlos and Jay nodded and I grunted. "Let's grab that wand and blow this Popsicle stand."

Then we got up and walked away, heading back to our dorms. As the countdown clock winded down, I began to wonder how tomorrow would turn out. I figured like everything else, it'd be a huge disaster. But, hey, that's life.


	4. Chapter 4: Five Hearts as One

**Chapter 4: Five Hearts as One**

 **A/N: Hello, and welcome to the Final (Maybe?) Chapter of Descendants: The Twisted Tale. In the last couple of days, I've gotten a few reviews and PMs asking me if I'm thinking about continuing the story. and my answer will have to wait until after this chapter. So until then, enjoy Chapter 4!**

* * *

Before we left for the coronation, there was a couple of things I needed. Remembering the magic carpet from before, I cast a spell to shrink it so I could sneak it into the chapel. If we were going to pull this off, we'd need a quick getaway. The magic carpet had enough strength to hold two people. I'm sure that three would be no problem. We had to stay in the balcony but even if we still needed to escape quickly, as long as I held the carpet, we'd be just fine.

I think all of us were nervous. We'd only get one shot at this. If we failed, Auradon would go free. Our parents would be disappointed in us forever. I knew the pressure was weighing on Mal heavily. I wanted nothing more than to go and comfort here. But, I couldn't. Off on the other side of Mal, I noticed Nadra standing with her family and Fazil. She wore an oasis blue dress and a gold necklace placed around her neck. Though it was impossible to see from here, she may have also been carrying her key chain. For a brief moment, her eyes gazed up at the balcony to meet mine. For a while, we just stared at one another before I shook my head and looked away.

Disregarding my feelings for Nadra, I focused my attention back on my sister. When the doors of the chapel and Ben slowly walked down the aisle, I could feel Mal's anxiety within me as if it were my own. She managed to bow respectfully to Ben as he passed and I sighed. "Here we go."

Then Fairy Godmother took the stage, hugged the beauty and bowed to the beast before lifting the crown from his head. Making her way to the prince, she placed the crown upon him. The king lifted the jar and the queen took the wand and presented it to Fairy Godmother. Then she turned to Ben and raised her voice so all of us could hear. "Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of Auradon with justice and mercy as long as you shall reign?"

For a moment, I saw Mal stiffen and I knew that if she didn't grab it soon, our time would be up.

Ben answered. "I do solemnly swear."

Fairy Godmother tapped his shoulders with the wand and held it out to the side. "Then it is my honor and my joy to bless our new king…" That was as far as she got. In a flash, the wand left her fingers and was placed into another's. At the transferal of hands, the wand went berserk and a ray of power was cast out of it. Everyone was shocked. Because the moment of betrayal came from an unexpected source.

"Child, what are you doing?" Fairy Godmother shrieked at the girl.

"If you won't make me beautiful," Jane exclaimed, "I'll do it myself." The wand began to go out of control. Sparks kept flying out of the tip and Ben ran to Mal to protect her. No one made a move to get close as Jane tried to control its magic. "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!"

Mal stepped forward and fought with Jane for the wand. Meanwhile, I cast the enlarging spell on the magic carpet and jumped off the balcony without seeing if the others were following. Down below, Mal had managed to wrestle the wand out of Jane's hands and it stopped sparking. Coming to a rest next to my sister, I stepped off the carpet and said, "What's the plan, sis?"

Ben came towards us, calmly but cautiously. "Mal, give me the wand."

"Stand back!" She threatened. I stood by her and held up my glove, also pointing it at Ben. The sound of the doors opening alerted us to the others arriving but we kept our eyes facing forward.

Ben tried to talk to Mal. "It's okay…"

But Mal was insistent. "Ben, I said, stand back!"

Audrey came out of the crowd. "I told you so!" Mal waved the wand their way and they all backed up in fear.

"LEV!"

I turned to see Nadra on my right. I pointed my glove in her face and she flinched. "Lev, you don't have to do this." She held out her hand and I stared at it in indecision. "Please."

I scowled on the outside but on the inside, I didn't know what to do.

Carlos told us to hurry up. "Let's go."

Jay agreed. "Revenge time."

"You really want to do this?" Ben asked.

"We have no choice, Ben. Our parents…" Mal cried, exasperated.

Ben cut her off. "Your parents made their choice. Now you make yours."

Mal took a few breaths and began to look around the room. I glanced back at Nadra and realized what I would be giving up if we delivered the wand to our parents. What would happen to her…

"I think I want to be good," was Mal's whispered reply.

"You are good." Ben stated.

"How do you know that?" Mal shouted.

"Because…" Ben trailed off for a split second before starting again. "Because I'm listening to my heart."

Mal stood silently. "I want to listen to my heart too." Then she spun around and said, "And my heart is telling me that we are not our parents." I dropped my hand from in front of Nadra's face and gave Mal my full attention. She smiled at us. "I mean, stealing things doesn't make you happy. Tourney and victory pizza with the team makes you happy." Jay smiled as she reminded him of what mattered to him.

She spoke next to Carlos. "And you… scratching Dude's belly makes you happy. Who woulda thought?" We all chuckled at that one, even some people in the audience.

Then she spoke to Evie. "And Evie, you do not have to play dumb to get a guy. You are so smart." Evie was smiling as the tears ran down her face.

Then my sister turned to me. "And you too, Lev. Don't let her go. If your friendship with Nadra makes you happy, you need to fight for her."

I smiled, some tears escaping down my cheeks as well.

Mal looked at all of us. "And I don't want to take over the world with evil. That doesn't make me happy. I want to go to school…" We all smiled at her words. "And be with Ben." She turned and held up the ring. "Because Ben makes me really happy."

"Us being friends makes me really happy. Not destroying things. I choose good, you guys." The wand dropped to her side and she stuck a fist out and held it aloft. We were all silent for about five seconds before I placed my hand to the right of hers. "So do I."

Mal gave me a genuine smile and used her free arm to give me a hug. Soon, Jay and Evie followed suit. Only Carlos hesitated. "So, just to be clear, we don't have to be worried about how really mad our parents will be?" We all laughed at that one. "Because they're going to be really, really mad."

Ben answered, "Your parents can't reach you here."

Carlos smiled. "Okay then." He put his fist in. "Good."

Mal gestured to Ben and since she was inviting him, I held my hand out to Nadra. Smiling, she took it and entered the circle with us. Then, the crowd broke out into cheers and for once, it felt like everything would work out just fine. But, unfortunately, there was still one more twist in the tale.

Thunder struck and the entire crowd jumped. The sky outside darkened considerably as a sinister laugh erupted in the hall and green mist floated down from the heavens. When it hit the floor, it remolded itself to reveal…

"Mom." I said, my eyes widened in shock.

Maleficent yelled out to the masses. "I'M BACCCCKKKKKKK!"

Nadra grabbed my hand and I squeezed hers reassuringly. "Don't worry. We'll fix this."

Mal cried. "Go away, Mother."

Mom snorted in laughter as if she thought we were joking. "You're very funny. Here. Wand me. Chop chop!"

Mal threw it, but not to her. The wand sailed through the air and Fairy Godmother caught it. "Bibbidi Bobbidi…"

"Boo!" Mom said mockingly before raising her scepter. A green light pulsed from the staff and the entire hall froze. Only Mal, Evie, Carlos and Dude, Jay, and I were unaffected. At least I thought so until…

"Lev!" I was shocked to see Nadra still moving. "What's going on? How come I didn't freeze with everyone else?" I had no answer until I noticed our interlocking fingers. But this wasn't the time to discuss it. So instead, I said, "Whatever happens, don't let go of my hand."

Maleficent then began to inspect her prisoners. She started with the King. Taking off his glasses, she mused, "In another time, in another time…" Then she placed his glasses on his head and walked up to the Fairy Godmother. Ripping the wand from her grasp and proceeded to pick at her nose with. "Oh no, someone needs to pluck their nose hairs." She looked to us. "Where shall we begin?" She ducked under her arms and then an idea occurred to her. "I know. How about we start with getting rid of this?"

Mal's hand flew up without warning and Prince Ben's ring was tugged off. Mal looked at her finger in tears and I gripped her shoulder firmly before glaring at our mother.

"Perfect fit… Oh excuse me," she said as she went under the other arm. "Pardon me, excuse me. The horns, the horns!"

Maleficent messed with the crown on Ben's head. "Falling in love is weak. And ridiculous." She raised an eyebrow my way. "Just ask your brother and this girl." I stepped forward in an attempt to shield Nadra from her sight. But she was done with me and focused all of her attention on Mal.

"It's not what you want."

"You don't know what I want," Mal cried. "Mom, have you ever once asked me what I want? I'm not you!"

"Well, obviously, I put years and years and _years_ of practice into being evil. You'll get there."

"No, I will not." Mal declared. "And I really wish that you had never gotten there yourself."

Mal smiled. "Love is not weak or ridiculous. It's actually really amazing.

"If I know one thing, young lady, you have no room for love in your life." Maleficent had had enough of Mal's arguments and was now pointing the wand threateningly at us.

Mal looked at the wand and before holding a hand out. "And now I command, wand to my hand!"

The wand broke free of the evil fairy's hold and returned to Mal's hand. "It worked!"

"Of course it did, Mal! We're way stronger that we were before." I said.

"I hardly think so. This is tedious and very immature. Give me the wand. GIVE ME THE WAND!" Mom yelled in anger.

"Hold on Mal, maybe good really is more powerful than evil." Carlos suggested. We all thought about that.

Maleficent scoffed at his proposal. "Oh please, you're killing me. Arf!" Dude ran up and jumped into her arms. While she dealt with him, I noticed Nadra unclipping her key chain from her side.

In the time that Maleficent was occupied, Jay tried to grab the scepter and yank it away. But, she only grabbed his arm, made an offhand comment about Gaston and flicked him away. Then, with another cackle, she stepped onto the dais. "Enough! You all will regret this!"

She turned back into green smoke and remolded herself yet again, this time into a giant dragon. She roared out and breathed fire. Jay fell backward, breaking the connection between Nadra and I. As Nadra was falling backwards, she had enough time to toss her key chain my way before the spell took effect and she froze like all the rest. "Nadra!"

Getting to his feet, Jay grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd. We tried going around the pillar but she just circled around and caught up. Looking to the key chain, I pulled the tiger free and called out, "Azim, protect!" Then, I chucked it and watched as it landed on the dragon's head. There was a flash and then, Azim appeared and began clawing at the dragon. Mom tried to shake him off but she wasn't having much luck. Grabbing Jay's outstretched arm, we made our way back to the middle of the hall. A roar alerted me to Azim's predicament. Mom had finally managed to shake the tiger off and was now trying to forcibly crush him.

Unclipping the sword and letting it grow in size, I handed it off to Jay and said, "Keep the others safe."

"Wait, bro, what about you?" He asked.

I took a deep breath. My spells wouldn't do much to her no matter what I used. If we were going to defeat her, we'd need more than that. We'd need the power of another Big Bad. Ripping the glove from my hand, I let the transformation take over like it had always wanted. But unlike the other times, I let it keep going until I was fully transformed. I could feel the other's stares as my skin darkened and my eyes blazed yellow. My hands and feet grew claws and my body put on muscle. Ethereal wings of shadow extended from my back and I flapped them a few times. Jumping into the air, I used my newfound strength to catch Maleficent off guard and punch her in the stomach. The dragon groaned and she let Azim go. The tiger's form faded and then there was nothing but the trinket left over. I didn't have time to try and catch it. I was too busy fending for my life. Mom began to swat at me as though I were a fly and it took every fiber of my being to maneuver while in the air. Since this was the first time I had grown the wings, I wasn't used to them yet.

"Lev! Watch out!" Mal's voice warned me but it was too late.

Slap! Mom hit me in the chest and I slammed into the nearest wall. The wall cracked from my impact and giant pieces of debris fell. I was dazed but immediately remembered the people frozen under us. Reaching towards the falling rubble, I telekinetically willed the rubble to stop and to rise back towards me. Then, using one of my father's signature moves, I set the rubble ablaze and sent it back at her. While she was distracted, I flew under and then up. Prepping a fist, I gave her a right hook and a roundhouse kick to the throat.

Flying backwards, I chanced a look at the others to make sure they were out of harm's way. That was my mistake.

SWAT! Mom's claws swatted me out of the air while I wasn't looking and I hit the ground only a few feet away from my friends. I heard Mal and Carlos call out my name and had enough time to lift my head and see the dragon coming at me with teeth bared.

"Magic mirror, shine a bright light!" Evie's voice called out into the quiet. The mirror managed to blind her, giving Jay and Carlos enough time to drag me backwards behind Evie.

The purple and black dragon fell to the ground and now stood only a few feet away glaring menacingly. Jay warded her away with the sword a couple of times and kept it in front of us as another defense.

Mal stood up and shouted, "Leave my friends alone!" Making her way to the front, I got to my feet and joined her. "This is between the three of us, mother!" I cried.

Mom glared at us with an intense heat but we weren't backing down this time. I opened my mouth to recite a spell but Mal beat me to the punch.

 _"_ _The strength of evil is good as none when stands before five hearts as one."_ She said. Looking for my seal of approval, Mal turned to me. I nodded in agreement and added my voice to hers. _"The strength of evil is good as none when stands before five hearts as one."_

The others stood with us and as we came together, I could feel the magical tension in the room. But, Mal and I continued on, our friend's strengths adding to our own. _"The strength of evil is good as none when stands before five hearts as one!"_

Mother stared us down with all of her might and we stared back. But instead of my regular green, I stared back with eyes of yellow. We were locked in the staring contest for all of seven seconds before she shook her head and dissolved into mist before disappearing with a mighty roar.

Fairy Godmother seemed to break free from the spell's hold. But, she was the only one. Still, we made our way towards her. "What just happened?" Jay asked.

"Not a clue…" I replied.

"Is it over?" Carlos wondered.

"Did you do it?" Evie questioned.

"I don't know." Mal answered.

Fairy Godmother met us halfway so that we were all looking down at the newt on the ground. "No, no, no. Your mother did. She shrank to the size of the love in her heart. That's why it's so itty bitty."

Mal and I bent down and Fairy Godmother followed our lead. "Is she going to be like that forever?" We asked.

"Forever is a long time. You learned to love. So can she."

Mal smiled before presenting her with the wand. "I believe that this belongs to you."

I smiled too. Fairy Godmother looked pleased. "You all have earned yourselves an A in Goodness Class."

Off to the side, I noticed my discarded glove and proceeded to put it back on and cast the transformation spell. At the same time, Fairy Godmother raised her wand and shouted, "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!"

The spell was broken, the people were unfrozen, and I had just enough time to catch Nadra before she fell backwards.

"Whoa, wait, weren't you in front of me before? And did you transform?" I chuckled. I forgot that transforming ruined the things that I was wearing. I was sure that I was a mess but at that point, I really didn't care. Seeing something that made me smile, I dropped to my knees and picked up the miniature tiger. Then, I clipped it back onto the key chain and said, "Thanks for throwing him my way. Without Azim, it feels like this wouldn't have gone a different way."

"Well, I'm glad that I could be helpful." Then she moaned in mock agony. "Especially since I missed the entire fight. I can't believe I got delegated to the damsel in distress role." She scoffed in annoyance. "The next time something like this happens, I'm fighting by your side. Capiche?"

"Got it. But hopefully, that won't happen for a while." I said. Off to the side, Amir and Fazil were looking at me. But, rather than glares, they gave me small grins. It looked like they were trying really hard to keep the grins on their faces but at least they were putting effort into it.

"Hey! Careful!" Mal shouted and I turned to see one of the attendants taking Beast's jar and trapping our mother under it. "That's our mom."

"Lighten up, sis. They won't damage the merchandise," I said and she playfully punched my arm. Then, she pulled me into a hug that Carlos, Jay, Evie, and Ben soon joined in on.

I pulled Nadra into our little group hug. And Jay, ever the opportunist, cracked a big smile and said, "Let's get this party started."

The others laughed. Nadra glanced my way. "Ready for another abrupt sing-a-long?"

I sighed and stayed silent but, in the end, I slumped in defeat. "Alright, just this once."

The party was one of the best. We had won against the forces of fate that conspired against us and realized we could live as we chose. After the party, Nadra said that she'd help me investigate my transformations more in the hopes that I could use my father's powers for good and maybe even become his antithesis. I'd like to say that this was it for us and that on this day, we finally reached our happily ever after. Unfortunately, no matter what we wanted, no matter what we thought, this was only the beginning.

* * *

 **A/N: And the main story has finally finished. It took some time but I finally managed to get this one to you guys. And now that it's been released, it's time to start thinking about long term plans. I'm not sure how many of you have heard it but Descendants is getting a second movie, which I am super psyched for. Of course I wouldn't be able to write anything slightly canon until it came out, but there are other things. For the longest time, it felt as though Lev - despite getting tons of character development - doesn't really have his own story. So I was planning on doing that. Giving him and Nadra their own little adventure until Descendants 2 decides to make an appearance. So what do you guys think? Should I? The story itself hasn't really been written just yet. Mostly because I was planning on adding a few OCs here and there (if you want, you could submit a few). But how does that sound? Please review or PM to tell me what you think. For now, I'll get to work on a rough draft. But, if you guys just want it to end here, I'll take that into consideration as well.**

 **Until next time, Arthur Dragonpen**

 **Signing off.**


End file.
